Pensacola, it's Ugly Fest time! More than a dozen bands will rock over 2 days

The Exploited was right. Punk's not dead. At least no more so than any other rock-based sub-genre in the age of pop and hip-hop hegemony.

"No, punk's not dead,'' said an exasperated-sounding Beav Kenoyer, a longtime Pensacola music booker and scene maker. "It's just on life support."

Well, it's about to get a jolt, a decibel-driven jolt that will be so aggressive it might cause nosebleeds and vertigo. Because the eighth annual Ugly Fest, featuring 20 regional, and one international band, will perform Nov. 9-10 in Pensacola.

The Nov. 9 performances will be at chizuko, 506 W. Belmont St., while the Nov. 10 show will take place at Bare Hand Collective, 2370 N. Palafox St.

The shows are hosted by the Plug Uglies Wrecking Crew, a not-as-scary-as-they-look gang of punk rockers who promote local scene loyalty and unity among fans, bands, stagehands and everyone who makes a music scene a music scene.

The Plug Uglies have chapters across the Southeast, including Pensacola and Baldwin County, Alabama. The Ugly Fest rotates between Mobile and Pensacola each year.

Now, I've never been a "joiner,'' so I could never be a Plug Ugly, though I live up to half of the name. But count me in with anyone who wants to keep rock loud, aggressive, ill-mannered and untidy. (I almost started to yell "Spray paint your walls!" here in the newsroom because I've been feeling the rage while I write this. The Plug Uglies will know the reference.)

Ugly Fest will feature bands from Pensacola, New Orleans, Fort Lauderdale, and various cities in Georgia and Alabama. Plus, there's Zeta from Venezuela.

"They're psychedelic and amazing,'' said Kenoyer, who is coordinating the music festival.

Another favorite?

"Duel is one of my favorite bands in the South,'' he said. "Stoner riff rock."

Tickets are $10 for Nov. 9, and $18 for Nov. 10 shows. Two-day passes are $20 and available at ticketfly.com. Some proceeds will benefit various organizations and groups that are supported by the Plug Uglies.

• Speaking of chizuko, I'll be there Thursday night for Otonana Trio out of Japan, probably my favorite ramen-oriented band ever. Songs about ramen between song stories about ramen. Show time is 8 p.m. Opening acts are Action Doug, and my favorite fellas, Earl's Killer Squirrel.

• Hey, if "loud fast rules" doesn't seem like your thing, there's always the Nov. 9 show by Dean Dillon, which will be a tribute to Pensacola musical legend Larry Butler, a Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter who died in 2012. Tickets are $30. Larry was a sweet guy. Details: vinylmusichall.com.